The following U.S. patents pertain to spring clamps, clips and similar devices. None of these, however, discloses a clamp having the features of the present invention. U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,524,537 and 3,203,061. U.S. Pat. No. 4,388,747 discloses a clip provided with a hinge that is materially integral with a pair of clamping means. The whole device is made of thermoplastics, and the arms are substantially extended in the area of the hinge.
For a wide range of applications, clamping devices provided with clamping jaws or jaw-forming members that are movable along a linear path have also become known. Hungarian Patent Specification No. 102,024 describes a clamping head of such type for a memo-pad, while U.S. Pat. No. 4,368,823 discloses a hanging necktie holder that holds ties through the use of clamps which press the ties against the crossarm over which they are draped. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,106,508 a surgical clamp for the occlusion of blood vessels or other tubular conduits in human or other animal bodies is described that also follows the principle of linear jaw movement. The common characteristic feature of all prior art devices lies in that the attainable clamping force never exceeds the force stored in the spring element used, and release of the clamping device to allow removal of the article from between the jaw-forming members has to be effected by squeezing the handle portions of the device toward one another to open the jaws against the full spring action.